Bayern Munich Campus announced on their official page today the signing of 16-year-old Austrian talent Matteo Maric, confirming the rumours that have been ongoing since early March. He will join Bayern this summer from the RB Salzburg academy.
Maric is a 6'3 midfielder with silky dribbles and a serious eye for the goals. His dribbling style resembles a young Jamal Musiala, using a lot of body feint and change of direction and bursting away using their long legs. The 16-year-old is still incredibly raw, but he has the build and the talent to become one of the most prolific attacking midfielders in Europe.
This move symbolises Bayern's long-term planning under Vincent Kompany, using the academy talents as the core instead of splashing money on flashy signings.
The Belgian head coach has given ample opportunities for the youngsters to train and play with the first team. So far, excluding the departed Adam Aznou, Kompany has given nine academy players the chance to debut this season. Lennart Karl is now a core member of the first team squad. The 18-year-old received his national team call-up and debut during the March international break.
Four of the youngest debutants ever for Bayern Munich also came under Vincent Kompany: Filip Pavic, Erblin Osmani, Cassiano Kiala and Wisdom Mike.
Other young stars like Leonard Prescott also frequently train with the first team. Recently, BILD reported that 16-year-old Bayern U17 top scorer Philipp von Taube also received his maiden first-team training session during the international fixture.
Matteo Maric will be the next young star to follow this new trend. And it will be a matter of time before Vincent Kompany gives him the nod to feature in a game for Bayern if his development goes well.
Best time to be a promising talent in Bayern reserves
What a time to be in Sabener Strasse for under-18 talents! They know they are cherished and developed following a proper and realistic path to become a Bayern player rather than being thrown away in favour of big signings like before.
Jamal Musiala, Josip Stanisic, Lennart Karl, and Aleksandar Pavlovic are the role models the academy starlets look up to and strive to become. However, the likes of Malik Tillman, Kenan Yildiz, and Joshua Zirkzee are the lessons learn for the Bayern management to keep the youth development pipeline running.
Vincent Kompany is doing a magnificent job keeping hold of Bayern's young talents. But his action now means more than that: the best talents, like Maric, will want to come to Bayern because they know the potential and see the future in this club.